A Live-Work Space Lets In Light and Creativity

When Gary Richmond and Elaine Walker first fulfilled this house, they fell in love with its possible and agreed to get it on the spot. The husband-and-wife design team knew they had a fixer-upper in their hands, and it had been stuck in the early ’80s. “We worked together with the first brick structure, but we all restyled the decor and much of the interior, which was not a priority for the previous owner,” says Richmond. The house today reflects the couple’s distinctive flavor, their penchant for pre-loved furniture and their efforts to direct a more sustainable lifestyle.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Gary Richmond and Elaine Walker
Location: Central Southampton, England
Size: 2,500 square feet

WALK INTERIOR DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

The few pairs striking pieces like the Designers Guild drapery, printed rug and large scale paintings using white walls, which enhance the artwork. They bought nearly all of their furniture in vintage shops and specialty stores in London and Brighton.

Richmond salvaged the rich, strong mahogany flooring from a nearby college sports hall.

WALK INTERIOR DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

Richmond stripped off the ground’s older markings by hand to retain its grain and patina. “Most people today think the flooring is original to the house,” Richmond says. “Hand-stripping the flooring rather than sanding the whole thing using a machine actually adds to the floor’s personality.”

Paintings by New York artist and friend Tim Kent flank the seating area.

WALK INTERIOR DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

Sliding doors connect the living room to the atrium. This area had much more supporting joists earlier, “which was lovely to check at but obstructed the light, Richmond says. “We replaced the timber using an aluminum version.”

WALK INTERIOR DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

The reading chairs fronting the library shelves twice as seeing lounges in front of the media center.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Inspired by the reclaimed floors in the living space, the design team made a kitchen that’s sympathetic to the home’s brick structure while still expressing their modern taste.

The custom kitchen cabinetry is a rosewood veneer. A floating black parapan locker unit echoes the dark sheen of these light pendants. The flamed granite countertops have a textured surface that’s warm and leather-like to the touch.

Kitchen design and joinery: Walk Inside Design; dining room table: Safire; mild pendants: Conciluce

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

The kitchen and dining area change from bright and outward looking during the day, to darker with characteristic lighting and a cozier feel at dusk and into the night.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

The bedroom reflects a more minimalist ethos in comparison using all the modern-eclectic kind of the rest of the house. A layered window treatment produces a sophisticated appearance and helps the bedroom.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Under-floor heating warms toes in the restroom. The few laid the bathroom floor and wall tiles at the exact brick-like pattern used throughout the house.

Toilet joinery: Walk Inside Design

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Shutters covering the massive atrium window filter sunlight. Guests can control the solar-powered motor using a bedside remote.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

The lined wallpaper provides more insulation and smooths from the unfinished plaster work underneath. The wallpaper adds visual interest and takes the eye away from the all room’s straight lines and angles.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

“Bathing in the soaking tub is merely the very relaxing feeling — day or night,” says Richmond.

Another studio (curved wall) that formerly contained a swimming pool homes the pair’s office. “A pool wasn’t an option for us, so we transformed the pool to our job studio. We shortened the space to offer extra parking in the rear and a patio in the front,” says Richmond.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Inside, job lamps, a mirrored lamp and industrial light pendants throw the pitched roof’s angles a couple of curves. Tolix chairs and a pair of stools surround the table.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

The design duo thinks of the house as the pleasant surprise in the end of the road.

WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

“We’re surrounded by Victorian terraced houses. Most people, even folks from the region, don’t even know it’s here,” Richmond says.

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